Monday, August 5, 2013

on decorating slowly

I don't know about you, but I am not patient by nature (is anyone?). When we moved into our new house in December I had all these expectations on how fast I would be able to get things done. I wanted to immediately buy new drapes, hardware, rugs and furniture. We haven't. Luke is very determined for us not to go into debt to buy things for the house and it was hard for me to respect that at first. Its hard to come home to a house that is 'in progress.'We've had a lot of talks about it and while I'm still struggling to be on board all the time, its becoming more 'ok' for me to not be able to do everything at once. I don't want to be in debt over furniture either. Luke had me write out a list of everything I want to do over the next year and we worked out how much we can do per month. For some reason seeing it on paper and being able to check things off helps. Last month crown molding was a big chunk of our house budget and this month I get to do some more fun little projects. Little by little we are getting it done.Do you struggle with patience on your house? I was envious of our friends that moved in and bought all new furniture, but am realizing that is a not a reality for me and I need to wait and get what I really want when I can afford it. Not an easy lesson to learn, but I'm so grateful for my husband really standing up and taking leadership over our budget and enjoying the little by little. xoxo

16 comments:

I can so relate to this -- I had these grand expectations of having our flat be completely done a few weeks after moving in and it's definitely been a slow process. Learning patience. :) Love your list idea, so fun checking things off!

I can definitely relate. there is so much I want to do in our house. I try to do a project a month and save money. Problem is I am in charge of finances and I am not good with money! It is hard to be patient for sure. We just got a new bed and now i want all new bedding, a headboard the list goes on. But alas I must wait!

It is so difficult for me to do this! I just want everything to look pretty and complete! I was very lucky in that I bought most of my furniture while still living at home, so once I had a house I just needed to decorate. If not, I def would have had to do it this way. It's better this way. At least now you wont make an rushed decisions that you'd end up regretting.

YES. Same here: bought a house in December for us to "grow into". We definitely didn't have enough furniture and it's been hard to wait to fill it up. My sister shared a very helpful quote with me re: decorating. "Buy the best and you only cry once." Trying to hold out for the best/what I absolutely love instead of fillers. I can relate to this post so much.

I know how you feel! When we first moved into our apartment we had NOTHING. No furniture, no dishes, no silverware, nothing. We had to start from scratch so it has been an agonizing (year and a half) process before I've started to feel like it's "home". It will get there! At least this way you know everything you buy is because you love it - not just because you're filling up space.

my next move, i will have nothing except my bedroom furniture. so i am saving up now for everything because i cannot wait at all. i want everything in place with in a few days of moving in. i may have dishes in my closet at the moment because i started to slowly get a lot of the smaller things.

Oh you know I am right in this boat with you! We are 7 weeks into our house. We promised not to put anything on a credit card for the house. We also made a plan of everything we wanted to do. Then I prioritized it... namly get rid of paneling and 1970's wallpaper. Since we had 45 days until our first mortgage payment was due, we used that payment money to buy paint, baseboards, new locks, and a few small accessories, oh and MORE PAINT... just to get the most used rooms of the house to the point they didnt stress me out (like paneling in the kitchen made me anxious). We haven't bought any furniture (except patio)... just using what we have. Until we have more money saved up to tackle the big things... like the fact we doubled the size of our house and have a few empty rooms. :)

Love this post and that you love your husband for taking the leadership role on the budget. Wonderful! And I think if you think about things and have patience you end up liking your rooms better and getting really the pieces that you want and love.